Letter: Newbury and the roads dilemma: why we must break with the Briti sh car culture

Sir: Yet again we have proposals for a 12-lane M25 (report 3 April). The Government ignores the evidence from their own commissioned reports that new roads generate extra traffic and thus quickly fill these attempts to "relieve" congestion.

These new efforts will cost pounds 93.8m and will be funded by the taxpayer. Why not private lanes for the M25, or private toll roads anywhere else? Simple. None of us would pay for the use of these new roads, if we had to do so voluntarily at the point of use rather than involuntarily through taxes. The free market, given the chance, would reject these new roads.

Rupert Fausset

London SW12